


Mass Effect: Rebuilt and Rusted

by nepos



Category: Mass Effect Trilogy
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Romance, F/M, Intrigue, Post-Canon, Sad and Happy, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-09
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:21:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23565988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepos/pseuds/nepos
Summary: Shepard has survived the Reaper War, but the galaxy is still recovering. The Alliance and the Citadel Forces have all experienced hurt and loss. Discharged briefly for psych evaluations and a much needed rest, Shepard tries to track down the rest of her squad and help them find a place in the post war world.But as Shepard battles with finding herself again after the war and rekindling relationships, the galaxy itself is brooding with something sinister. While the synthetic races have disappeared, substantial numbers of multiple races are missing too. The impacts of the Crucible are not yet understood, but something in Shepard tells her that she is more involved in the post-war consequences than she may think.
Relationships: Kaidan Alenko/Female Shepard
Kudos: 1





	Mass Effect: Rebuilt and Rusted

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first story. I have a horrible time with writer's block and planning before I write. With that said, I'm planning on writing scene-by-scene, with little editing between writing and posting. They won't be a total mess, but I'm just giving a small warning that this may be more amateur than I would like.

# Chapter 1

## 

Scene 1

### 

Rebirth

Shepard rose from the dead for the second time. She knew she must have died, she was part synthetic after all and in destroying the Reapers, and the Artificial Intelligence systems across all of space, well, it would only make sense that part of her had died too. Life came back to her in the form of a ragged breath and the pressure of rubble and debris cracking her N7 suit. The support shell had broken through any cushioning left in her armor, and she was presently aware of the jabbing around her ribs.

She was also conscious of how tired she was, how sleep seemed like the best option, and that perhaps she deserved it after all these years. The battle was over after all. Shepard almost did sleep, but the image of being left out in these ruins stirred her to action. With one hand reaching out towards the light, and another pushing up against what rested on her head and shoulder, Shepard managed to slowly and painfully extricate herself.

By the time she deployed the Crucible, however many hours ago that really was, most of her armor had been removed during the fight. But after the impact of destroying the Reapers, when Shepard fell from the Crucible, down to whatever surface she had hit, she was lucky to have half of her breastplate and her midsection belt hanging from her frame. Shepard’s head throbbed, her mouth was dry.

The more pressing issue was where Shepard was exactly. She had been on the satellite structure of the Citadel, hovering over the Earth’s atmosphere. Had she fallen into the wards? Was she in some area of the Citadel? Or, and this was something she wanted to deny, had she fallen out of orbit, down through the atmosphere, and had landed back in London, or somewhere else on Earth? She contemplated this dully, resting her frame on the unidentifiable landscape.

The sky was grey, but eventually Shepard noticed a band of soldiers traversing over the tops of stone hills. Friend or foe be damned, she’d rather die by bullet than remain here. She waved her bare hand until one tilted their helmet in her direction. She watched their small stature grow. There were three of them, all wearing a steel blue battle gear. The one who noticed her pulled his helmet off, exposing a young and angular face.

“You alright, soldier? What’s your status?”

Shepard looked at him for a moment, but when he seemed to not recognize her, she said, “Commander Shepard, U.S. Alliance. I was the one who was in the Crucible.” Part of her wanted them to react in awe. The other part whispered that the fame had gone to her head, and she should just hope they would bring her to safety.

“Lieutenant-Commander Thalacker. I guess we should be thanking you,” Thalacker said. He brought two fingers up to the side of his helmet and broadcasted an order. 

“We’ll be picked up before long,” Panek said, hoisting Shepard into his large arms. “You’ll be fine, Commander.” She wasn't so sure about that.


End file.
